It’s taken me far longer to get back into the swing of things since getting back from overseas than I ever could have predicted. Jet lag? Yes. But there was something more, I’m not even sure what, that seemed to ensure I moved like treacle for almost a fortnight.
As though I was being punished for being away, and therefore, my brain must operate at a level of cottonwool that I haven’t felt in years.
Bit by bit, it’s receded, until today I found myself not needing a nap mid-afternoon, and instead Poss and I got in the kitchen and baked.
Let me just preface this by saying that we’re not excellent bakers. Although, to be fair, Poss’ skills and passion in the kitchen far outweighs mine.
However, the act of doing something together, and her controlling what goes in, always results in something if not beautiful, certainly edible. And when it comes to her, and the list of things she won’t eat, this in itself is something significant.
We tried a new recipe today; one for banana muffins, from a free cookbook that has been designed by the team at SDN Beranga especially for kids on the Autistic Spectrum.
Trying something new is always tricky, but Poss was moved to know it was designed for kids like her, and at eleven, she can occasionally be bribed with promises to be allowed to do all the mixing, pouring and oven duties.
You can find the full recipe, along with more than 20 other recipes for meals covering everything from breakfast, to lunch and dinner, and some healthy smoothies thrown in, here.
While we swapped out the egg replacer for an actual egg (only because that’s what I had in the fridge, and egg allergies aren’t an issue for us), and snuck in a few choc chips that we had lying around, Poss was keen to recreate it as per their exact and clear instructions.
The result? Muffin success.
The cookbook is full of great recipes, all thoughtfully put together by their experienced chef, to cater to a wide range of dietary and sensory needs, taking budget, ease and time into account – which let’s be honest, we all struggle to get right.
It even includes a bunch of ideas and activities for sensory play, food strategies and tips for allergy free cooking.
After spending some time flicking through it over the past few weeks, I can only say that I wish it (and actually, the whole approach to childcare that SDN Beranga seems to have) had of been available when Poss was younger… I suspect it would have saved us a lot of heartache.
What is your child’s favourite meal? What will they absolutely not eat under any circumstances? Do you cook together?
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This post is bought to you in partnership with SDN Beranga.
To learn more about SDN, please visit http://sdndisability.org.au/tailoredsupport/ or call 1300 831 445.
11yo loves plain 2 minute noodles. She loathes food that touches, lasagna, stews, etc. Very excited that she will now eat Butter Chicken Curry, so long as it is just chicken in the sauce, no sneaky veggies.